The numbers look like a typo. If you didn't see it live, you'd think the box score was glitched. 34-28. That was the final falcons vs patriots super bowl score on that wild night in Houston back in February 2017.
But the final score doesn't even begin to tell the story of Super Bowl LI. Honestly, for about two and a half hours, it looked like the Atlanta Falcons were going to cruise to their first-ever title. They weren't just winning; they were embarrassing the greatest dynasty in NFL history. Then, the math broke.
The 28-3 Ghost that Still Haunts Atlanta
We have to talk about the lead.
It's the meme that won't die. By the middle of the third quarter, Atlanta was up 28-3. Tevin Coleman had just caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Matt Ryan, and the Falcons' sideline was basically already ordering the championship rings. At that specific moment, ESPN's win probability tracker had the Falcons at a 99.6% chance to win.
Most people remember the comeback, but they forget how dominant Atlanta was early on. Devonta Freeman opened the scoring with a 5-yard burst. Then Austin Hooper grabbed a 19-yarder. The real dagger—or so we thought—was Robert Alford’s 82-yard pick-six. Tom Brady looked human. Worse than human, he looked old.
How the Patriots Flipped the Script
How do you lose a 25-point lead in 17 minutes? It wasn't one big play. It was a slow, agonizing grind.
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The Patriots' defense, led by a monster three-sack performance from Grady Jarrett (who, in any other universe, is the MVP of this game), started getting stops. But the real shift happened when Dont'a Hightower strip-sacked Matt Ryan. That fumble gave the Patriots the ball at the Atlanta 25-yard line.
Suddenly, the "inevitable" comeback felt real.
The Scoring Breakdown by Quarter
If you look at the scoring progression, it’s a lopsided mess:
- 1st Quarter: 0-0 (A tense defensive stalemate)
- 2nd Quarter: Falcons 21, Patriots 3 (Complete domination by Atlanta)
- 3rd Quarter: Falcons 7, Patriots 6 (The lead stays comfortable at 28-9)
- 4th Quarter: Patriots 19, Falcons 0 (The wheels fall off)
- Overtime: Patriots 6, Falcons 0 (The first OT in Super Bowl history)
James White. That’s the name that should be on every jersey in New England. While Brady got the MVP, White was the engine. He scored three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. He set a Super Bowl record with 14 catches. He was basically unguardable in the flat.
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Why the falcons vs patriots super bowl score Changed Football
There’s a lot of finger-pointing in Georgia about the play-calling. Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator at the time, has taken a lot of heat for not running the ball more to bleed the clock.
After Julio Jones made a catch that defied the laws of physics to put the Falcons in field goal range late in the fourth, they were at the New England 22-yard line. Three runs and a field goal would have ended it. Instead, a sack and a holding penalty pushed them out of range. They punted.
Brady got the ball back. You know the rest.
The Julian Edelman catch—the one where the ball bounced off a defender’s leg and he grabbed it an inch from the turf—felt like divine intervention. It tied the game at 28-28 after two successful two-point conversions.
When the Patriots won the coin toss in overtime, the game was over. You could see it in the Falcons' eyes. They were gassed. The Patriots had run 93 plays to Atlanta’s 46. New England held the ball for over 40 minutes.
Key Stats You Might Have Missed
- Tom Brady threw for 466 yards, which was a record at the time.
- Atlanta averaged 7.5 yards per play but only had the ball for about 23 minutes.
- Stephen Gostkowski actually missed an extra point, which is why the Patriots had to go for those two-point conversions just to tie.
This game changed how we look at "safe" leads. It solidified the Brady-Belichick era as the greatest ever and left a scar on the Falcons' franchise that still hasn't quite healed.
If you're looking to settle a bet or just relive the trauma/glory, the final falcons vs patriots super bowl score was 34-28.
To really understand the tactical side of this game, watch the fourth-quarter film of the Patriots' "O" line. They went to a no-huddle pace that completely exhausted the Falcons' pass rush, which is why Matt Ryan was left watching from the sidelines as James White punched in the final score in overtime.
The next time you see a team up by three scores in the second half, just remember: nothing is over until the confetti falls.
Actionable Insight: For those analyzing historical NFL data, focus on the Time of Possession (ToP) and Total Plays Run from this game. The 93 to 46 play discrepancy is the real reason Atlanta collapsed; their defense simply ran out of oxygen. When scouting current matchups, look for teams with high-volume, short-passing offenses (like the 2016 Patriots) as they are the most likely to trigger these late-game fatigue-based comebacks.